UNHAPPY Hagley residents have accused Worcestershire County Council Highway chiefs of wasting £25,000 on needless facilities.

The money has been made available through Section 106 funds by Cala Homes to help negate the existing Kidderminster Road development by improving local transport.

But £10,000 of the money is being spent on providing a bus stop shelter in Park Road, while the remaining £15,000 will go towards improvements for cyclists and pedestrians going to and from the new estate to the village centre and railway station.

Hagley Parish Council chairman and Bromsgrove District Councillor Steve Colella insisted: "The bus stop itself isn't even on a commuter route, it's hardly used. The money would have been much better spent elsewhere on other projects. It's a complete waste of valuable money.

"When that money is made available for Highway issues, I can't understand why we were not even asked about what we think.

"There is currently a working group that looks into air quality.

"We have identified three or four pinch points on the A456 between the Cross Keys and the junction with Stourbridge Road where traffic simply belches out fumes. The money could have been better spent on helping the traffic to flow more freely in those areas."

Cllr Colella has been supported by county councillor Rachel Jenkins who said: "I don't believe people use the bus stop in Park Road. I spoke to one resident who has lived there for 30 years and who informed me that he had never seen anyone waiting at the stop in all that time. It's a ridiculous waste."

But Cllr John Smith OBE, Worcestershire County Council's cabinet member for Highways, said: "We asked Cala Homes to contribute £25,000 to mitigate the impact the development would have on the local transport network as well as the substantial alterations to the existing junction.

"The figure includes £10,000 to provide a shelter for the existing bus stop on Park Road near the A456 junction which we believe will be used more frequently as a result of this development and is necessary.

"The remaining £15,000 is to provide improvements for pedestrians and cyclists going from the new estate to Hagley village centre and Hagley station and to provide extra cycle shelters at Hagley Railway Station itself.

"We took the view that providing facilities to support the existing bus services would provide long term benefits for residents of Hagley."